My love index is at its maximum.

Kuriyama Sakura's lips twitched slightly.

She seemed to really want to call him "idiot," but she held back. She probably had to consider the occasion before she could scold Tazaki Tsukasa.

“Sakura treats you very specially.” Mrs. Kuriyama smiled with interest and looked at Tsukasa Tazaki with curiosity. “You know, she usually ignores me, her mother. What should I do? I’m a little envious of the relationship between you and my daughter.”

Kuriyama Sakura rubbed her temples with a headache and sighed, "If you two really think you're kindred spirits, please find a secluded place to talk all day long, instead of blocking my way home."

“Look, she’s angry.” Tsukasa Tazaki spread his hands and said helplessly, “The department head is good in every way, except for this bad habit of being petty. Whenever she sees me getting along well with other men, she always finds an opportunity to say something to hurt me.”

"To! Saki! Tsukasa!"

"Auntie, help!"

Tazaki Tsukasa hid behind Mrs. Kuriyama, peeking out half his head to look at the flustered Kuriyama Sakura, his voice trembling, "Please take good care of my personal safety in this villa tonight, Auntie. Oh, and Uncle is the Minister of Education, so please also put in a good word for me with him at school tonight."

"You're dead tonight!"

Kuriyama Sakura glared at him fiercely, spewing defiant threats.

"Alright, let's go in." Mrs. Kuriyama chuckled twice and said to Tsukasa Tazaki, "Don't keep her father waiting. He's a high-ranking official and he's arrogant. He might throw a tantrum later."

"Um, can I not go in?"

"Don't worry, Auntie is on your side tonight."

"Thank you auntie."

Kuriyama Sakura followed the two awkwardly into the house.

The autumn sunset bathed this palatial mansion in a radiant glow. Passing through the spacious living room, which resembled a hotel lobby, we arrived at the backyard.

A spacious lawn, lush green pines and cypresses, a golf practice net, and a marble swimming pool with clear blue water.

Minister Kuriyama is practicing golf.

A green net was strung between two trees, and the baseball bat swung up with a "whoosh," aiming straight at the target and striking the ball hard.

Hearing footsteps, he turned around, put down his baseball bat, picked up a towel and carefully wiped the sweat from his face. He said to his daughter, "Go change your clothes and get ready. I'll talk to Tazaki."

"Okay!" Kuriyama Sakura reluctantly replied, crossed her arms, turned around, and quickly disappeared from sight.

"Bring some drinks," he instructed Mrs. Kuriyama.

Mrs. Kuriyama nodded and quickly walked back into the house.

Then, the cabinet minister wiped the sweat from his face with a towel, ignoring the presence of Tsukasa Tazaki, and stared intently at the green net and the golf balls scattered on the ground, as if he were pondering some important political issue.

As the autumn sun sank deeper into the west, all was quiet and peaceful, creating a harmonious and beautiful scene.

Tsukasa Tazaki quietly gazed at the lawn bathed in the glow of the setting sun.

He felt the atmosphere here and now was unnatural, a bit contrived, and somewhat ridiculous.

It's not that there's anything wrong or incorrect, it's just that the current situation really feels like a father-in-law preparing to give his son-in-law a hard time when they're meeting for the first time.

Kuriyama Kazuki suddenly spoke up: "Sakura has been well taken care of by you at school."

"That's too serious, we're just looking out for each other," Tsukasa Tazaki replied politely.

"What kind of care will she give you?" Kuriyama Kazuki bent down to pick up the golf club, turned to look at his face, then at his legs. "Even I, as her father, have a hard time getting a good look from her. You're something else. To be her only male friend and even be taken home by her, that's quite a rare thing."

"I often get scolded by her." Tsukasa Tazaki said with a smile in his eyes, mimicking the minister's tone, "You idiot, you're an absolute idiot!"

"foolish?"

"Yes, she said she only uses that word to insult me."

"I'm actually a little envious of you, a kid," Kuriyama Kazuki joked, handing him the golf club. "Want to practice?"

"Do not hit."

"Hate?"

"I don't care if I like or dislike it, I just haven't fought it."

Kazuki Kuriyama smiled and said to him, "There's no such thing as being indifferent to whether you like it or not, right? Generally speaking, people who have never played golf are the kind of people who dislike golf. They will definitely think that the sport is very boring and that you can't see the point of playing it for a long time. Just be honest with me. I've heard too much flattery, and now I want to hear the frankness."

“There’s no deep reason,” Tsukasa Tazaki smiled wryly. “In order to survive tonight, I can’t practice golf with you for the time being.”

Kazuki Kuriyama asked with a puzzled look, "Did you manage to survive tonight?"

"That's right. I made Sakura angry at noon today, and she's still not over it. If I play golf with you, I'll definitely work up a sweat, and if she smells my stinky odor at the banquet later, she'll definitely throw a tantrum."

“You’re an interesting person, quite extraordinary.” Kuriyama Kazuki looked at him with great interest.

"Not at all," Tsukasa Tazaki said with a modest smile. "I'm just an ordinary high school student, I just speak in a way that makes me sound mature."

At that moment, Mrs. Kuriyama came over carrying a pot of black tea and two cups. She placed the tray on the table in the veranda, filled the cups with tea, and then quickly left.

"Go take a rest." Kuriyama Kazuki walked to the chair and sat down, bowing slightly.

Tazaki Tsukasa politely sat down next to him and drank half a cup of tea.

My throat was so dry and thirsty that the tea tasted especially delicious.

"You've been making quite a stir lately," Kuriyama Kazuki suddenly said, changing the subject.

"You can't run away from trouble when it comes." Tsukasa Tazaki sipped his tea.

"They performed exceptionally well; it was truly amazing."

“After all, I’m just a penguin that suddenly appeared in Tokyo Bay,” Tsukasa Tazaki said. “To be able to swim all the way across the Pacific Ocean to Tokyo, I must have some extraordinary abilities to adapt to the climate here.”

"Tokyo Bay penguins?" Kuriyama Kazuki said, glancing at the remaining black tea in the teapot, and smiled amusedly. "I've never heard of such a metaphor before. What a humorous way of putting it!"

Thank you for your compliment.

“But,” Kuriyama Kazuki said sarcastically, “you just said you were just an ordinary high school student. How did you suddenly become such a remarkable penguin?”

“Of course, I can only be considered an ordinary high school student in front of you,” Tsukasa Tazaki said calmly.

The tone of voice gave Kuriyama the impression of a young man sitting steadily in a chair, crossing his legs and speaking to him—a posture of equality.

In reality, Tsukasa Tazaki simply sat upright with his hands crossed on his thighs, looking very gentle and refined.

"That was a very helpful answer," said Kazuki Kuriyama in admiration.

"The clearer you are about yourself, the simpler you are when you speak." Tsukasa Tazaki thought for a moment and then said, "I don't like to play dumb, and I don't know if that's a good thing or a bad thing."

Kuriyama Kazuki downed his cup of black tea in one gulp, then picked up the teapot and refilled both of their cups.

“No wonder Sakura and you get along so well.” He sighed with a touch of emotion, his gaze fixed on the golf practice net between two tree trunks in front of him, with thirty or forty white golf balls scattered on the lawn.

Tsukasa Tazaki took a sip of tea.

The cabinet ministers are considering what to say next.

Thinking takes time, but he himself didn't seem to realize it. Given his position, he was already used to everyone waiting quietly to the side.

Tazaki Tsukasa didn't want to disturb his thoughts, so he could only quietly watch the sunset in the courtyard.

The colors of the sky were beautiful; the yellow and red sunset had a delicate sense of layering, making it look vibrant and dazzling.

Time passed slowly, and when the lights in the courtyard came on, Kuriyama Kazuki finally turned his gaze back to Tazaki Tsukasa, a slightly surprised expression on his face.

“Sakura gets along very well with you,” he said. “She gets along with almost no one. She barely speaks to me. She only has basic respect for her mother. She has no friends her own age, which is quite problematic, as all her teachers have said. She doesn’t fit in with others, but she gets along very well with you. How is that possible?”

“I guess we get along well,” Tsukasa Tazaki replied.

"Is that all?"

"Perhaps there are other things that haven't been discovered yet."

"What do you think of my daughter? Her former classmates all said she has a terrible personality."

Before answering the question, Tsukasa Tazaki hesitated for a moment.

This is just like a father-in-law interviewing his son-in-law. He doesn't know whether he should answer frankly or be a little more polite and say something that everyone likes to hear.

After a moment's thought, he said, "Her bad temper is just a facade, or rather, a wall she uses to shield herself from external interference. Those who know her will understand that although she is proud, she is sincere and warm-hearted. She likes reading, drawing, and cats... Moreover, she is a very spirited girl, intelligent and possessing a charming and inexplicably touching side. Oh, aside from often calling me silly, in my eyes she is a flawless person."

"Highly praised." Kazuki Kuriyama nodded proudly.

On the surface, she appears to be a cold and aloof young lady, but in reality, she's just a smart, sensitive girl who tends to overthink things. Born into a privileged family, she should have grown up to be even more dazzling, but now she seems to be trapped in some kind of strange cycle that she herself is unwilling to break free from.

"Yes."

Kuriyama Kazuki sighed deeply, clasped his hands on the table, and stared at his fingertips for a long time: "You're right, absolutely right, but I'm helpless. It's been like this ever since her biological mother passed away. There's nothing I can do. I can't be firm in disciplining her, or rather, out of love and guilt, I can only let her grow up the way she chooses. Anyway, that's just how it is. I love my daughter, that's for sure, she's my only child! But it just won't work, I'm at a loss about her future."

After he finished speaking, he slightly raised his head to look at the courtyard.

As night deepened, the silvery lights shone down, illuminating the white golf balls on the grass.

“We can’t just stand by and do nothing, can we?” Tsukasa Tazaki said. “You are family to her no matter what.”

“Absolutely right.” Kuriyama Kazuki nodded slowly. “It is precisely because I am her father that I have invited you here to talk.”

"...?" Tsukasa Tazaki scratched his temple, feeling like he'd been blackmailed.

"Could you please look after her for a while?" Kuriyama Kazuki said earnestly. "It won't be too much trouble, just maintain the current relationship. She's at the prime of her youth, and she needs friends of her own generation, friends with whom she can share her feelings and speak freely. Aren't you the most suitable person?"

“I am doing that,” Tsukasa Tazaki said with a weak smile. “But when it comes to family and emotional support, the only thing we can offer is our parents. You and your wife should be clear about that.”

“Why don’t you just be Sakura’s family at the same time?” Kuriyama Kazuki raised his cup of black tea and made a toasting gesture. “As for the women around you, I don’t care about them at all. As long as Sakura is willing, she can do whatever she wants.”

"...?" Tsukasa Tazaki stared in disbelief.

"Don't be so surprised, I trust Sakura's choice."

Kuriyama Kazuki still held his glass, his expression devoid of any hint of joking. "That child was reclusive for many years, during which time she developed a particularly keen intuition, different from what is generally called keenness. How to put it? Sometimes it's so keen it's frightening, like some kind of divine possession. When you're with her, sometimes she can see things that I can't see the truth of, you can't help but admire her. Do you understand what I mean?"

"Understood." Tazaki Tsukasa nodded, inwardly thinking to himself—he and Shimamoto Kana had just had something happen, and she had already noticed it on the first day of the training camp in Kamakura. It was as exaggerated as if she were possessed by a god.

“I suppose this can be considered a kind of talent.” Kuriyama Kazuki coughed and wiped his mouth. “I believe in Sakura’s choice, Sakura believes in you, so I believe in you, and you should believe in me too. Although I hold a high position, I’m not arrogant. Of course, I didn’t know who you were when we first met, so please don’t take offense. As I just said, I have no way to deal with this, and you are the only person I can count on.”

Tsukasa Tazaki gently shook his head, indicating neither "Yes" nor "No".

I didn't know what to say, no thoughts came to mind, I just reflexively shook my head.

Kazuki Kuriyama asked, "You don't want to?"

"No, let me think about it." Tsukasa Tazaki frowned and fell into silent thought.

It was already quite dark, and Mozart's piano sonatas drifted intermittently from the villa. The wind blowing against one's cheeks made one feel chilly.

"Have you made up your mind?" Kuriyama Kazuki asked again, sounding somewhat anxious.

Tsukasa Tazaki looked up at him: "Even if you hadn't said anything, I would have done it anyway."